Dein erstes Forum » ply let Sams on-field play speak for hi

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Kimmo Timonens NHL career remains in limbo after tests revealed blood clots are gone from his lungs but remain in his right leg, according to Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall.Timonen was ruled out for at least the first half of this season because of the blood clots that were discovered over the summer. There was hope new blood tests would provide some clarity on his future, but the veteran defenceman and the Flyers still dont know if hell be able to ply again.Its good news that the lungs are clear, I think its great news. The leg, we were hoping for better news, Hextall said Saturday during the Flyers morning skate at First Niagara Center. The initial information I have, thats still up in the air, whether he can play or not with whats happened with his leg.Timonen has made no secret that hed like to get back on the ice in what would be his final season. Any decision is pending a conference call with doctors Wednesday to plot a course of action.At that point, Timonen, doctors and team officials could decide his career is over. Or the 39-year-old could begin skating at some point.Hextall just wont put Timonen in danger.If theres risk, its not going to happen, Hextall said. Not with us.Hes a good person and we wouldnt risk any player or any person to something like that.Timonen is a veteran of 1,092 NHL games with the Nashville Predators and Flyers. Hes a four-time Olympic medallist and has appeared in five games for Finland.The Flyers are well out of the playoff race, in part because of a defence thats worse because of Timonens absence. Winger Jakub Voracek, the NHLs leading scorer, called Timonen the piece that weve been missing.He knows what it takes to find a way to win the games, Voracek said. Obviously thats the leadership, its everything at this moment.If hes going to play its going to be great for us and great for him.But teammates also dont want Timonen to lace up his skates and play again if its going to endanger his career or life.The most important thing is somebodys health, forward Vincent Lecavalier said. Hes got 40 more years to live, or more, so thats the most important thing ... Obviously we want him back because hes a great player and off the ice everybody loves him, but its somebodys life youre talking about, so thats the priority.Hextall said Timonens mood was one of guarded optimism. Tests did not change that.The information I have, you cant say hes going to play, you cant say hes not going to play, Hextall said. Its still up in the air.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter China Wholesale Shoes Websites . It was the most lopsided loss in Lakers history. Darren Collison had a team-high 24 points while starting at shooting guard for the injured Jamal Crawford. 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Sam declared Sunday that he is gay in interviews with ESPN, The New York Times and Outsports. The Missouri All-American had already come out last August to his coaches and teammates, who respected his privacy. Now Sam is entering uncharted territory as he prepares for the NFL draft. The SECs co-defensive player of the year was projected to be a mid-round selection. At 6-foot-2, 255 pounds, Sam will likely have to transition to outside linebacker, which could impact where hes drafted. But announcing hes gay could also have an impact on his draft status. "Im not naive to think there arent potentially some owners or executives out there who will say, Eh, Im not so sure now." said Golden State Warriors President and Chief of Operations Rick Welts, who came out publicly in 2011. "But also, I hope, there are a lot who would say, Theres an opportunity to do something that I think our fans would actually embrace. And if were supposed to win football games, if this guy helps us win football games, thats somebody we should have on our roster." Sam, 24, joins a growing list of active athletes to publicly come out, including Robbie Rogers, a winger for Major League Soccers Los Angeles Galaxy, and Brittney Griner, who plays for the WNBAs Phoenix Mercury. Conner Mertens, a kicker for Division III Willamette University, came out as bisexual late last month, and is believed to have been the first active college football player to publicly announce his sexuality. Griner, as one of the WNBAs brightest stars, was the centerpiece of the Mercurys marketing campaign. She also made a point of supporting causes that are important to her. "There was nothing about heer that was difficult in marketing.dddddddddddd We supported what she wanted to do with bullying and the LGBT community. We made those connecting points," said Amber Cox, president of the Mercury before leaving to go to the Big East last fall. Nike has also thrown support to LGBT athletes, signing both Griner and Jason Collins, a former NBA player who came out last year, to sponsorship deals, and launching its "Be True" campaign. Profits from the .BeTrue collection are being donated to the LGBT Sports Coalition to support the goal of ending discrimination in sport. Mark Elderkin of the Gay Ad Network, an online media platform for national advertisers, said NFL teams need only look at Sams track record. "Theyre going to make their choices based on who the best college athletes are. And theyre going to choose Michael if they deem him the best pick. So, I think they need to focus on the facts, and his performance over the years, his All-America status and everything hes done for Missouri," Elderkin said. "Also his relationships with the fans, and with the positive energy he has around his teammates and their full support, shows that hes not going to be disruptive to the team in any way, but is going to add value." But its still a reality that gay athletes face a backlash. Derogatory comments were easily found among the positive posts on social media and other online commentary following Sams announcement. A Pew Research survey last year of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults in the U.S. found that just 4 per cent saw pro sports leagues as friendly toward LGBT people, while 59 per cent saw the leagues as unfriendly and 36 per cent saw them as neutral. Still, even over the past year there have been significant overall victories in gay and lesbian rights, most notably two U.S. Supreme Court decisions in June. One ruling cleared the way for ending a ban on same-sex marriages in California; the other struck down a 1996 law passed by Congress that banned federal recognition of same-sex marriages. It remains to be seen how growing tolerance extends to the NFL playing field. "I think the point thats being made in a lot of the discussion is, Lets just move on," Swangard said. "If the guy makes a team, then he makes the team. His sexual orientation shouldnt be the story." ' ' '